INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN MAURITIUS

In Mauritius, the trademark applications must be filed with the Industrial Property Office of Mauritius (IPO).
The Patents, Industrial Designs, and Trademarks Act, 2002 (enforced in 2007), deals with the mechanism of registration of trademarks.
Multi-class trademark applications are acceptable.
The third parties can file opposition actions against a trademark application within (02) months following its publication in the trademarks journal.
In Mauritius, the registered trademarks have a validity of ten (10) years from the date of application, which can be further renewed indefinitely for periods of ten (10) years.
The request for a getting a trademark renewed can be filed as early as six (06) months before the expiration date.

Mauritius is a member of the Paris Convention.
The Patents, Industrial Designs, and Trademarks Act, 2002 (enforced in 2007), deals with the mechanism patent protection.
Process Patent and Product Patent are the two types of patents that can be protected in Mauritius.
In Mauritius, any invention that satisfies the conditions of novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability or new usability, subjects to patentability.
The types of patent applications in Mauritius include Non-Convention Application and Convention Application.
Utility Model Protection is not available under the patent law.
Opposition against a patent application can be raised at the post-grant stage. At the post-grant stage, an opposition can be raised within two (03) months from the date of publication of the patent grant.
The patent of invention lasts for twenty (20) years in Mauritius.
The time frame for payment of Annuities before the due date is six (06) months.

Mauritius is a member of the Paris Convention.
The Patents, Industrial Designs, and Trademarks Act, 2002 (enforced in 2007), deals with the mechanism of registration of industrial designs.
The types of industrial design applications in Mauritius include Non-Convention Application and Convention Application.
Utility model protection is provided under industrial design protection in Mauritius.
Opposition against an industrial design application can't be raised in Mauritius.
The total duration of an industrial design registration is fifteen (15) years from the date of application. The initial term of registration is five (05) years, which is further extendible for two terms of (05) five years each upon payment of the renewal fee.
There is a grace period of three (03) months to renew an industrial design in Mauritius.

Mauritius is a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
The Copyright Act, 2014 deals with the mechanism of copyright protection in Mauritius.
In Mauritius, the authors of creative works are entitled to copyright protection upon creation and without any formality.
The standard copyright protection term lasts for the lifetime of the author plus fifty (50) years following his death. However, the duration of copyright protection varies depending on the type of work.
For audio-visual works, the copyright protection term lasts for fifty (50) years from the date on which the same was first made available to the public. For a work of applied art, the copyright protection term lasts for twenty-five (25) years from the making of the work.